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Paris (WOD)
Paris, also known as the Eternal City ''or even, the City of Love'', is the capital and most populous city of France. Overview Paris is as important to the French mindset as any other nation in the world is for its respective nation. Built on the banks of the Seine, Paris is divided into 20 sections called Arrondissements. The city has hundreds of restaurants, museums, archives, theaters and quaint Bohemian-style neighborhoods haunted by artists and tinkers. Vampire: The Masquerade Until the Dark Ages, Paris was ruled by Alexander, the powerful boy-prince of the Ventrue. He presided over the Ventrue-Toreador Grand-Court of Paris, an alliance between his clan and the Courts of Love, until he was exiled and succeeded by Geoffrey du Temple. , p. 48 Today the city is a Camarilla-domain and the poet François Villon of the Toreador clan is it's Cainite Prince. He has been in this position since the beginning of the 16th century , p. 61 (with a brief interregnum during the French Revolution) and, as one of the most influential Princes within vampiric society, considered Prince of all France. , p. 104 Prince Villon rules the City of Light and particularly his special pet interest, the fashion community, from the seat of Toreador power in the 1st Arrondissement at the Louvre. p. 70 His words are absolute law with regard to art and culture, not only in Paris but throughout much of France and the "civilized" world as well. He is especially fond of beautiful women, and many famous models have given of their vitae to Paris' prince. However, his heavy regime breeds several dissents and several Kindred who make their haven in the city have grown tired of his strict rule and Toreador supremacy. , p. 71 Brujah clamor for more influence, while the Nosferatu Warren of the city dates as far back as to the earliest settlements on the Seine river, so the Clan demands more rights within the city. The Tremere Chantry of Paris, located in what is now the 5th Arrondissement, is one the oldest of the Clan; having been headed by two Councilors (LeDuc and Goratrix). , p.134 The area, known as The Pantheon , includes the Sarbonne , the second oldest university in Europe. Though Paris is the trend-setting capital of Toreador society, some Malkavians live here, inspiring mortals in their own bizarre fashion. Elders of Paris have both created and destroyed more artists than most American Toreador will ever meet. The strong presence of vampires attracts members of the Unmastered, ghouls without proper domitors, who sell their services in exchange for vitae. , p.95 A small coterie, the Order of St.Joan, seeks to spread the Path of Redemption among the native vampires as well. , p. 89 The Anarch cell of Paris is among the most active in France, inspired by the successes of their mortal forbearers decades ago, within the 19th Arondissement. Villon, tampered by the experiences of the French Revolution, usually allows these young Anarchs a taste of rebellion to satisfy and calm them down (least their dissatisfaction erupt in another revolt). A number of Sabbat also dwell in the city, in the 19th and 20th Arrondissements, amidst the lower-class neighborhoods and old slaughterhouses. They have recently made a few recruits among the social elite in Paris, and it seems that the city, so superficially perfect and serene, may well crumble, eaten away with rot from within. Werewolf: The Apocalypse The Bone Gnawers are more populous in Paris than anywhere else in Europe, and the local community is thriving thanks to cordial relations with the wererats underneath , p.62. The city itself, however, is one of the bastions of the Weaver, the local penumbra marked by the higher-than-possible silhuette of the Eiffel Tower, which acts as a central hub for the local Pattern Spiders , p.51. The City Mother of Paris was discovered during the last century and never manifests before Frenchmen. , p.30 Paris is also home to the Ratkin Plague of the Gamine, whose matriarch, Madame DeFarge, makes her home in the cities catacombs, directing her brood to battle the webs of the Weaver and bring back the chaos of the Wyld to the continent , p.65. Mage: The Ascension As a major centre of western culture, Paris has attracted its fair share of willworkers over the centuries. Major events from the history of the Awakened, like the Paris University Purge, which marks the begin of the Pogrom, as well as Czar Vargos speech at the Exhibition of 1900 against the ever growing construction of war machines, have taken place here. As a result, the city plays host to various magical factions. Of special notes is the laboratory of the Sons of Ether, which had to be briefly shut down during the german occupation of 1940. , p.26 It is among the most prestigious chantries within the whole of the Tradition and only the most brightest scientists are invited. , p.32 Just outside of Paris lies the Great Hall, the meeting place for the Assembly of Science that governs the whole of the Tradition. , p.33 Four Hermetic Chantries, one constructed originally by the Founder Tytalus, have historically been constructed in and around the city, and Paris continues to act as a stronghold for their numbers. , p.50 In the events following the Reckoning, Paris became an important stronghold for the New Horizon Council. , p.5 Another place of notice is the café Le Corbeau Cruel near the Notre Dame, which is managed by a family of Hollow Ones, and it acts as an informal gathering place for displaced Orphans who seek to orientate themselves following their Awakening. , p.41 The Void Engineers of the Technocratic Union have been known to use the Pierre and Marie Curie University as a facility of their Descartes Institute of Mental Health, using it as a place were veterans affected by PTSD or even worse afflictions can be cured. Wraith: The Oblivion The Necropolis of Paris is affiliated with Stygia, even when it sided with the New Stygian Movement during the Great War and soulforged the Anacreons of Charon before a cheering crowd. Since then, the Grim Legion has ruled Paris, under the leadership of the Marshal of France, . , p. 63 The necropolis is prosperous, but also attracts a great deal of Renegade activity, thanks to the history of unrest in the city, which sendt numerous rebels into the Shadowlands. Most of these find the catacombs of the city to be perfect hiding places and as a result, much of the catacombs are under Renegade control, even when most of these groups prefer to meet in busy places, like cafés, where large numbers of mortals obscure them. The gros of the Hierarchy also lives in the subterranean tunnels, designed like an anthill to act as a dugout in the case of a Great Maelstrom. The tunnels are certain deathtraps for any invader and the Parisian Citadel has never been breached by an enemy. , p. 63 Both under Charon and under the Smiling Lord, the city was wrecked with rebellion und conflict. , p.222 The city is also home to a great number of Heretics, like the Pierrists, who drew upon the faith of the ancient Fishers. At least three extended circles of Heretics make their home near Notre Dame and similar grand cathedrals. , p.223 Renegades that decide to live in alternate communes gather at the surface, closely watched by the Hierarchy who is willing to allow them to congregate as long as they know where. , p. 63 Spectres are present at La Colonne Médici, plotting their conquest of the city under the guidance of the Shade of . Every attempt to cleanse the site has been met with disaster. , p. 64 Changeling: The Dreaming Paris is part of the Kingdom of Neustria, which encompasses the whole of France , p.49. As everywhere in Neustria, Sidhe dominate the political landscape. Kindred of the East (...) Hunter: The Reckoning Paris is home to one of the oldest Cenacula of the Society of Leopold, although it had to be closed during the period of the Revolution. It is located at Notre Dame. , p.27 Following an attack on their Foundation House in London in 2007, the Arcanum of the European Union has relocated its centre to the Foundation House of Paris , p.138. It is likely that Imbued have made their presence in the city, although there are too few of them to form any cohesive organization. Mummy: The Resurrection (...) Demon: The Fallen The Fallen gathered in Paris have formed into a Court, which has been described as "refined" , p.126. The local Tyrant even has claimed the title of Baron thanks to his endeavours , p.93. References Category:Vampire: The Masquerade geography Category:Cities (WOD)